Did your team draft Ben Sinnott? Drew breaks down what to expect from the versatile, athletic freak out of Manhattan.
Note:
If you’re reading this, you’re either a K-State fan, one of my relatives, or your team drafted Ben Sinnott. I’m gearing this profile towards folks looking for info on Sinnott because we already know him and let’s face it, my relatives are mainly in it for the pictures. Keep in mind, this is a Kansas State blog. I’m going to give you the best case scenario.
*All measurements and testing numbers are from the NFL Combine.
Ben Sinnott
Ben Sinnott is a TE prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.72 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 33 out of 1141 TE from 1987 to 2024.https://t.co/pHPbq2TTru pic.twitter.com/G3nB18T7Se
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 28, 2024
*If you like the NFL Draft, the above account is amazing.
Size Evaluation
Sinnott came to Kansas State as a 6’3”, 220-pound tight end out of Waterloo, Iowa. He is leaving at 6’4”, 250. That extra 30 pounds on his frame?
Pure Kansas wheat-fed muscle.
Size-wise, he’s not a monster but fits well within the position standards. He’s a little on the short side, coming in at a hair under 6’4”, and a little on the light side at 250. His hand size and arm length are a little below average for an NFL tight end. He doesn’t stand out as being small on the field (if that makes sense), but he’s not a guy who’s going to be a consistent size mismatch.
Then again, if he had ideal size, he wouldn’t have been a 0* recruit and walk-on at Kansas State because his athletic testing numbers are excellent.
Athletic Testing Evaluation
This is where Sinnott goes from a late-round pick to an early-to-mid-round selection. This dude is a straight-up athlete. It’s interesting; I’ve read a few evaluations that claim he lacks top-end speed, but I didn’t see that at Kansas State, and I don’t see it in these testing numbers.
He gets off the line in a hurry and has the top-end speed to stretch the field between the hash marks. I wouldn’t say speed is his best attribute, but he holds his own. This isn’t a lumbering dude looking for the first guy to hit once he catches the ball. He averaged 14.4 yards a reception in 2022 and 13.8 in 2023.
Where he does excel is explosion and agility. You don’t see many 250-pound guys that can cut and jump like Ben Sinnott. When he has the ball, he’s surprisingly agile. Capable of making defenders miss enough that he can use his size to break tackles in the open field.
One of the knocks on Sinnott is his route running, and that’s still a work in progress, but keep in mind, he only started at K-State for 2 seasons, and for everything the ‘Cats do well, precision passing isn’t one of those things. His testing numbers, however, indicate plenty of room for improvement. He has the raw tools; they simply need to be refined. I’ll take that over a more polished route runner without his physical capabilities all-day-every-day. He is far from a finished on-field product.
Skill Set
Versatility is the name of the game for Sinnott. When Kansas State went to their uptempo offense, he might line up at 3 different positions (fullback, tight end, wide receiver) on the same drive.
Receiving is his best NFL skill. His hands, in particular, impressed me over the last two seasons. Will Howard threw multiple touchdown passes to him that I thought were either going to be picked off or knocked away. He will stay with a catch until the end and take whatever punishment necessary to bring the ball down. When he gets moving in the open field, it often requires 2 or 3 defensive backs to drag, kick, and fight for every inch to the turf. He’s also deadly on the goal line and in short yardage as a fullback in play action.
At the same time, there are plenty of good receiving tight ends in this era of football. What separates him from tight ends that play more like jumbo wide receivers is his ability and willingness to block. He might not be the best blocking fullback to play the game, but he’s at least serviceable if not above average. Roster space is at a premium in the NFL, and Ben is able to fill multiple roles in an offense. Receiving may be his best skill, but his ability to do everything else, at least competently, separates him from more one-dimensional tight ends.
He played in a run-heavy Kansas State offense that featured pulling guards, tackles, centers, and tight ends. He led the way for both Deuce Vaughn and DJ Giddens (a name to remember for next year) on multiple touchdown runs both as an in-line blocker and out of the backfield. The Wildcats loved to run quarterback power on the goal line with Sinnott leading the way for Will Howard. Kansas State put up 30 red zone rushing touchdowns last season, and Ben played a key role in the majority of those runs.
Personality
What else can you say about a walk-on poised to hear his name called in the NFL Draft? You’re not going to find many guys that will outwork Sinnott. He also had some of his best receiving games against Kansas State’s toughest opponents. If you’re looking for film, check out his 5-reception, 78-yard, 2-touchdown performance against Missouri last season. He also put up 5 receptions for 69 yards in a loss to Texas. It seemed like the tougher the opponent, the more Kansas State relied on Sinnott to move the ball in the passing game.
Whatever the complaints about his blocking ability, his “want to” is never mentioned. He might take a bad angle on occasion, but he’s going to take a bad angle going 100 miles an hour with bad intentions. Sometimes I think he’s a little too aggressive in his blocking and would be better served with more patience, but that’s something that is easy to correct on the NFL level.
Overall
Is Sinnott going to be a star?
Probably not.
Is he going to be a plug and play guy that fills two roles on roster with upside in the passing game?
Absolutely
I would be shocked if, barring injury, Ben didn’t have a long and productive NFL career and pull down a couple crucial goal line touchdowns.
Interview and Highlights